


Lovelocks

by fluffybunnybadass



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: X & Y | Pokemon X & Y Versions
Genre: F/M, Kalos-chihou | Kalos Region (Pokemon), References to Depression, Romance, Selfship, copious amounts of kissing (non-sexual), klefki as the kalosian equivalent of lovelocks surely must be a thing, lovelocks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:47:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29507826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fluffybunnybadass/pseuds/fluffybunnybadass
Summary: “Did you know about Klefkis and the Kalosian tradition surrounding them? They say that if you give a Klefki a key, that they’ll guard it with their life! So if you give your lover a Klefki with a special key on it, or give their Klefki a special key, then that’s a sign that you want to be together forever!” Of course, it’s just a silly Kalosian tradition, so there’s no truth to it. But certainly there’s a lot of meaning behind it, right?
Relationships: self / Lance
Comments: 4
Kudos: 3





	Lovelocks

**Author's Note:**

> based off the idea of people giving each other “the key to their heart”, also [ this funny pokemon-equivalent of the idea ](https://ofieugogyshz.tumblr.com/post/621759786358374400/im-tired-as-shit-and-cba-to-copypaste-so-here)from last year. Featuring some good, self-indulgent fun ‘n’ fluff with the husband.

“Entrust a Klefki with important keys, and the Pokemon will protect them no matter what. If you give a lover a Klefki, it will always guard the key to your heart.”

It was something I saw in passing at one of the cafes here in Kalos. The silly, absurd lovers' trope made me snort and roll my eyes, but the thought stuck with me. I wasn't one for those sort of tropes, but for some reason it stayed in my mind. When I ran into a wild Klefki, the Pokedex reiterated the first line, and my brain instantly filled in the rest. I caught it easily enough, and deposited it into the nearest PC.

It wasn't until weeks later, when Lance and I planned out the next day he'd fly out here, that I remembered about it. The idea came to me suddenly, unbidden, and lacking any current goals, I chose to embark on the whim. I wasn't much of a key collector, so I knew I didn't have anything I could give to Klefki. Even so, I found myself scouring the antique shops in the cities and towns I had been to, seeing if I could find something that called out to me. I even had Pika and Klefki help; neither of them were much good at it. Klefki wanted all of the keys, while Pika didn't understand the point in finding keys, and only held out ones she thought looked neat. I gave up, heading back to Laverre City.

It was when I idly browsed the Pokemart's souvenirs that I found something that I liked-- a Fairy-type inspired key. The handle was shaped into four, fairy-like wings. The wings were filled in with colored, decorative wire in green and bronze. The top pair had small, purple roses on the tip, and a single purple gem in each wing. In the center was a pink rose, the same size and shape as the two purple ones. The handle rested on an ornate round hook that looked like vines, which traced down the length of the key in a spiral towards the teeth. It was definitely not designed to be a practical key, but if it was being sold by itself, then I suppose that point was moot.

An employee came over to me, noticing the key that I was looking at.

“Were you planning on giving that key to your Klefki?” she asked me.

“Huh? Oh, uh.. sorta. How'd you guess?”

She gave me a gentle smile. “We have a lot of Klefki in the surrounding area. Sometimes people will buy these keys to make them happy.” She tilted her head at me, a finger resting on her chin as she considered me. “Did you have another reason in mind?”

I blushed and looked away. “N-nope, just givin' it to my Klefki, like you said.”

She giggled. “Well, sometimes people will give their lovers' Klefkis a key of their own, calling it 'the key to their heart'. But that's just a Kalosian tradition around these parts.”

I felt my heart beat faster. “W-well, like you said, that's a Kalosian tradition, ha ha. Good thing I'm not Kalosian, huh?” I wanted to smack my own face as soon as the words left my mouth, but rather than look at me oddly, the employee only laughed.

“I'm sure your partner's Klefki will love it,” she teased, and I adjusted my scarf, trying to hide into it. I quickly threw in some Ultra Balls and Hyper Potions to complete my purchase and left.

*

Lance arrived a few days later, meeting me outside a cafe in Laverre City. He could only stay for a few days, but seeing him take the time to visit me from so far away always made me feel a little bit better. We made small talk, taking sips from our beverages, but mostly enjoying the presence of each other. It turned out that traveling a new region by yourself shortly after you got married was hard for both parties, and I couldn't help but wonder sometimes if part of my disinterest in Kalos' League Challenge stemmed from that.

“That's a cute outfit,” he told me suddenly, and I blushed.

“Ah-- thanks, honey. I got it from the fashion shop here. Did you know that the local Gym Leader here has her own fashion line catered to plus-size people? The shop here is mostly stocked for my size, so it was a surprise....” I stopped myself, feeling a bit out of sorts talking about it. Lance took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“That's great. I'm happy to see you in it.”

I felt my face heat up. My Pikachu took this moment to tilt her head at me, giving me a curious stare.

“Pi? Pika pi?”

I suddenly remembered the Klefki. I looked around; the beautiful city was definitely a good place for such a gesture, but I felt self-conscious about it. Maybe later.

*

Later wound up being that night in our room at the Pokemon Center.

“Hey, Lance.”

I felt my heart pound. I had practiced what I was going to say, but there still was the chance that the exchange could go completely off any script I could think up, and I wasn't sure what I could do if it did. We were seated on the bed, Pika curled up on a corner while we had spent the time talking. I had been going over my Pokeballs, cleaning them while also using that as an excuse to keep them nearby so I could easily transition into my plan without raising suspicion. It _was_ a gift, after all, and I was planning on making it a surprise for as long as possible. Klefki's Pokeball was currently in my hands, and I rolled it around in its minimized form.

“Yes, dear?” He looked at me with such an easy, gentle face that I almost faltered, forgetting my script for a moment. Pika opened an eye and kept watch.

“I... Uh, sorry. Can you hold out your hand like this?” I gestured with my own, showing an open palm towards him.

Curious, he obliged. I picked up Klefki's Pokeball and placed it in the center of his hand. I pushed the button on the center of the Pokeball twice; once to enlarge it, then again to open it. Out popped Klefki, jingling its keys softly. It let out a soft trill, swishing about happily when it saw me and the new human.

“This is a Klefki; they're a Pokemon that you can find around here. So much so that they even have decorative keys sold in the gift shop section of the Pokemart.” I laughed.

He was at a loss for words; and I could tell that he knew there was more to this than just showing him a new Pokemon.

“I'm giving it to you.” As I spoke, I could feel my face heat up, and I tried not to rush my words. “Klefki will guard very important keys that you put on there. So, um, I... I put the key to my heart on there, and I'm giving it to you!”

I felt like I could cry with how embarrassing the words were to say. How could he tell me such cliché sentiments and not get self-conscious during delivery?! I turned away, trying to hide my flushed face that he knew by heart.

I heard a cough, and I quickly looked back, all embarrassment briefly forgotten. He had his face turned away from me, clearing his throat, and I could have sword the tips of his ears were pink as well.

_Oh, how the turntables_....

I put both of my hands on the bed and leaned over to him, a devious grin on my face.

“What's the matter? I thought you liked that cheesy kinda thing.” He didn't say anything, but I could see that he was actually flustered, for once, and it made me laugh. I gently tugged his arm, trying to convince him to look back at me. And he did, but I only laughed more when I saw it was still tinged with color.

He scowled. “Come on now--”

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I just didn't know I could do that to you!” I fell back on the bed with laughter, Pokeballs rolling towards me when I did. “This has got to be the best thing out of this entire trip.”

He crossed his arms and waited, while I escalated into a giggle fit. I'm sure he wasn't really angry, because when I could finally pause long enough to look at him, his expression had changed to one that was carefully neutral. Very, very carefully neutral-- to the point that I could tell I could make him crack again if I tried.

“Are you done?”

I let out a snort, but managed to keep the rest of my laughter in check. That didn't stop the shit-eating grin on my face, that spoke multitudes about the sense of victory I felt. I wasn't even _trying_ for that response, and I felt like I had finally won a battle against him in the war of fluster, of which I was _always_ victim.

“Snrk.... Yes. Wait, wait-- okay no yeah I'm good.” He uncrossed his arms, and I sat back up, sidling up next to him. I gently rested my head against his shoulder, wrapping an arm around his and threading my fingers through his. “But for real, keep the Klefki.” At the sound of its name, the Pokemon jingled its keys. I motioned with my free hand for it to come over here, and it zoomed around to float in front of us, happily jingling. I reached out and gently held the key that I had added to its keychain, tilting it towards Lance.

“This is the key that I added-- though I'm sure you could have figured that one out yourself.”

“It definitely looks like one you'd choose.” He placed a gentle kiss on my head and I squirmed in joy at the affectionate gesture, squeezing his arm.

“Maybe you can find me one later and return the favor~~” I teased.

I could hear him clear his throat. “Of course.”

*

It was the night that I came home from Kalos. I was exhausted, and Lance basically had to guide me home through all the steps that felt far too much. From getting off the plane to getting into the vehicle, getting from the vehicle into the house; everything felt like too much. Even though we had stayed a few days after my last win to celebrate it, I felt like I just couldn't recuperate. Lance made sure that I hadn't come down with something, and led me to our bed. It had been so many months since I had last slept on our mattress that I had forgotten what it felt like. I flopped onto it, heaving a sigh far heavier than I thought.

Lance gently got into bed and pulled me close. He pet my hair, running his fingers through the ends before starting back at the top of my head.

“What's up?” he asked me softly.

I shook my head and buried my face into his chest. I let out a loud huff and wrapped my arms around him.

“I'm not sure...”

“Do you think you can try?”

“Mm....” I tried to think about what it was that I was feeling. It all felt heavy. Empty. Like the feeling after completing a goal-- it wasn't satisfaction. “Emptiness, I think? Like, there's nothing else for me to do now.”

“Not happiness?”

“Mm... no, I don't think so.” I pulled back a little to look up at him, meeting his blue-gray eyes that were filled with so much concern and love that it made me want to cry. “I don't mean that I'm _not_ glad to be home. It's kinda nice, and for once I'm looking forward to not having to go anywhere for awhile. But it's like... What do I do now?” I let out a short sigh. “I know that's not something that can be easily answered, and I know you can't answer it for me. I'm just...” I let out a groan. “I don't know.”

Lance's hand stopped partway through my hair and pulled away. I felt his hand gently nudge my forearm, until he could grab hold of my hand and squeeze it tight. Neither one of us said anything for a few moments.

“Can I tell you something?” he said, breaking the silence.

“Sure.”

“I'm glad you're home.”

Despite the terrible way I was feeling inside, his words managed to bring a little heat to my cheeks.

“Mm. I'm glad to be home with you.”

He shifted, kissing me on the forehead.

“I mean it. I missed you a lot.”

“I missed you too.” I kissed him on the lips.

“I spent a lot of time thinking about how to welcome you back.”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Mind sharing with me some of those thoughts?”

“Well, that would spoil the surprise, now wouldn't it?”

I couldn't help but roll my eyes and shake my head; a short laugh escaped from my lips, and that seemed to be the encouragement he was looking for.

“Well, perhaps I could show you one.” He started to get up, and I couldn't help myself.

“I swear to Arceus, Lance--”

He paused, looking appalled. “You should know me better than that!”

“I know, I know,” I teased him, sticking out my tongue. “But you gotta admit, out of context...” I gave him a few seconds to play back the last few lines, and he frowned. “Those words were definitely...”

He shook his head at me. “And you're supposed to be the ace here.”

“Doesn't mean that I don't read when things that fall in the gutter.”

“I'm going to pretend that we didn't have this conversation.”

“Okay~” I sat up. I found myself grinning at him. Seeing him get flustered at my intentional misreading was almost worth the effort. We both had a clear understanding on my extreme disinterest in the matter, and so was joking about it. But _sometimes_ it felt okay to poke fun at the subject; though I almost always felt bad right after for making him think I read into a situation wrong. “I'm sorry for teasing you, love.”

“I'll forgive you, if you mean it.”

I let out a hiss of air. “Ooh, hard deal. I'm just not sure I can make that kind of sacrifice...”

He shook his head at me again and rolled his eyes. “I'm glad to see that your humor didn't dry out.”

“Oh??? Was that a pun?! Isn't that supposed to be my department?”

“I had to pick up the slack.”

I laughed, finally conceding the game of quick wits to him. “Fine, fine, you win. I'm super sorry. Kiss and make up?”

He pulled me towards him, his hands gently guiding my face to his.

“I'm glad you're feeling better.” His tone was warm. I felt like I could melt into its warmth at any second. I kissed him, pressing my lips against his, meeting the same pressure back. We sat like that for a few more moments, trading kisses, until I finally broke away, foggy headed and vaguely remembering that there was some detail I was starting to forget about.

Oh, right.

“Weren't you... going to show me something?”

“Hm? …. Right. The key,” he mumbled to himself.

“The... key?” I repeated back, blinking. What--

“I wanted to show you something,” he said, not finishing the thought. He reached over to his nightstand, opening the drawer and taking two things out of there. I couldn't see what they were, but when he turned back, I could see in his hands a small Pokeball and a key. He held out the key to me, and I took it in my hands.

It was heavy, definitely made of some heavy, dark old metal. In the head of the key was a bright, fiery orange gem, oval in shape, like an eye. There were four notches holding it in place, each shaped like a fang. The key itself was long, nearly as tall as my hand was long. The tips of it were fitted like a normal key. There was some sort of build-up on it, nicks all along the bar of it, no doubt from usage over the years. Curled up around the handle was a nondescript, scaled wingless dragon, making up the hook from which the key was presumably carried.

“Woah... This...?” I was afraid to give him my guess, even though I was sure I was right.

“We needed to do some cleaning at the Dragon Shrine. I found it among the things in the Elder's desk. He couldn't tell me what it was to, but he allowed me to have it. And now, I'd like to give it to you.”

I felt my cheeks heat up. “A-Are you sure? You don't think your grandfather will mind?”

Lance laughed. “I think he knew what I was up to when I asked. He's seen Klefki around, even giving it a few keys so it would stop stealing all the more important ones. I'm sure he saw your key on there and could hazard a guess as to what was going on. Honestly, I wouldn't've been surprised if he planted it there,” he added under his breath.

I snorted. “Yeah, okay, that sounds like him.”

I wrapped my hands around the key, my thumbs rubbing over the fangs, the gem, all the nicks and marks on it. Part of me was excited by the gesture, as it always was whenever Lance got me something.

There was a flash of light, and Klefki was out. It yawned, shaking its keys sleepily. When it saw me, it jingled happily and swirled around my head.

“Looks like I'm not the only one who missed you.”

“Haha, yeah. Looks like it. C'mere Klefki. I got another key for you.” The tiny Fairy-type Pokemon spun around and lowered itself to look at the key. It jangled its keys in a questioning manner, looking between Lance and I. Lance took the key from me and held it out towards Klefki.

“This is the second-most important key you're going to protect, Klefki. It's the key to my heart; guard it as well as you've guarded my wife's.”

“Now hey, wait a minute.” I swiped the key back from him and held it out to Klefki. “Yours is just as equally important as mine. How dare you. Klefki, please take care of this key. Guard it with your life.”

The Key Ring Pokemon looked between the two of us, then trilled happily. It opened its key ring, and slipped the draconic key onto its key ring, fitting it right next to the fairy one I had given it over a month ago. It shook itself, much like a wet Pokemon drying itself off. Then, satisfied that the key was secure, it flew overhead, circling us with happy trills and klinking.

“Well, it's certainly happy,” I said.

Lance laughed and pulled me in for a hug, holding me close. He rested his head on my shoulder, speaking softly into my ear.

“Can you blame it? Klefki's got the keys to the hearts of two people in love.” He kissed me on the cheek. “Now we're entrusting it to guard both of our hearts.”

“Well, I don't know about you, but I feel pretty safe letting a Fairy-type guard my heart against yours.”

Lance let out a thoughtful hum. “I'm not sure. Aren't all your friends saying that you're the _one_ Fairy that's weak to Dragons?”

I let out a squeal of laughter as he suddenly took me down onto the bed with him. Between the usage of that joke and the tickling he was trapping me with, I wasn't sure which was worse. I struggled to defend myself, but sure enough I caved, calling out for him to stop between peals of laughter and shrieks. Our faces were flushed from the effort. I looked up at him, feeling my own smile grow. Slowly, I sat up, bringing my face close to his. I kissed him. Softly.

When our lips parted, I whispered quietly, “Thank you.”

“Anytime.”


End file.
